Bombardier Welcomes North Cariboo Air to the Smart Parts Program for Q400 Aircraft

Bombardier Aerospace announced today that North Cariboo Air, based in Western Canada, which recently took delivery of its first Q400 turboprop, has enrolled the aircraft in the Smart Parts program. Two additional Q400 aircraft, scheduled to be delivered this year, will also be covered by the program.

The Smart Parts agreement is customized to meet North Cariboo Air’s specific operational and performance needs and will provide the charter airline with competitive and predictable component exchange and repair costs, as well as superior quality and availability of key components.

North Cariboo Air, which already operates a variety of Bombardier aircraft, is now growing with the addition of Q400 turboprops to its fleet.

“Through our Smart Parts program, North Cariboo Air can count on enhanced budget predictability and dispatch availability, which are crucial to successful operations today,” said Gary Martin, Vice President, Sales, Marketing and Service Programs, Bombardier Customer Services. “This agreement reflects trust in the value of our OEM-designed service programs.”

“As a small operator, the Smart Parts program for Q400 aircraft was determined to be the best fit for our organization,” said Dave Williamson, Director of Maintenance, North Cariboo Air. “The program provided us with reduced start-up costs while ensuring a high confidence level in our Q400 operation knowing that we will be supported by the aircraft OEM.”

Since Bombardier launched the Smart Parts program for Q400 aircraft in 2008, it has attracted a growing number of airlines worldwide, including Canada’s Jazz Aviation, India’s SpiceJet, Japan Air Commuter of Japan, Luxembourg’s Luxair, Republic Airlines in the United States and Poland’s Eurolot. With North Cariboo Air’s three aircraft, the Smart Parts program for Q400 aircrafthas now grown to support 100 aircraft. The pioneering Smart Parts program, initially developed for Bombardier’s business aircraft, has been providing cost protection and budget predictability to customers for more than 25 years and currently supports approximately 1,200 aircraft.

About Q400 aircraftBuilt at Bombardier’s Toronto, Ontario facility, the Q400 aircraft, is an all-new design that entered service in 2000 to address the needs of the evolving market. Optimized for short-haul operations, the Q400 aircraft is a large, fast, quiet and fuel-efficient turboprop. It provides an ideal balance of passenger comfort and operating economics with a reduced environmental footprint.

The Q400 airliner was designed to meet the requirements of contemporary regional air transport, characterized by both turboprop and jet missions. Setting new environmental standards, the Q400 aircraft uses 30 to 40 per cent less fuel and produces 30 to 40 per cent fewer emissions on routes where it has replaced similar-capacity, older jets. The Q400 aircraft’s maximum cruise speed of 360 knots lets the aircraft fly on demand-driven interchangeable schedules with jets. However, the Q400 aircraft can slow down to achieve fuel parity with other turboprops on a per-seat basis, while still maintaining both speed and cost advantages.

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Bombardier is the world’s only manufacturer of both planes and trains. Looking far ahead while delivering today, Bombardier is evolving mobility worldwide by answering the call for more efficient, sustainable and enjoyable transportation everywhere. Our vehicles, services and, most of all, our employees are what make us a global leader in transportation.

Bombardier is headquartered in Montréal, Canada. Our shares are traded on the Toronto Stock Exchange (BBD) and we are listed on the Dow Jones Sustainability World and North America Indexes. In the fiscal year ended December 31, 2013, we posted revenues of $18.2 billion. News and information are available at bombardier.com or follow us on Twitter @Bombardier.

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